For more than 75 years, Camp IdRaHaJe has welcomed children each summer to hear the Gospel, build character, and grow in faith. Nestled in Bailey, Colorado, the camp’s name comes from a simple hymn lyric: “I’d rather have Jesus.”

In 2024, the Colorado Department of Early Childhood updated its licensing rules for resident camps, requiring them to allow campers to use showers, changing rooms, and sleeping quarters based on gender identity, not biological sex. For IdRaHaJe, that wasn’t an option.

Allowing biological males to sleep in cabins or change in showers with girls, and vice versa, would have violated the camp’s biblical convictions and put children at risk. When the camp requested a faith-based exemption, the state denied it.

…ADF attorneys filed suit in federal court, challenging the policy as a violation of the camp’s religious freedom. The state quickly realized it had overstepped.

Within one month, Camp IdRaHaJe reached a favorable settlement. Colorado agreed not to enforce the gender identity rules against the camp. It clarified that “churches, synagogues, mosques, or any other place that is principally used for religious purposes” are exempt from the requirements. Read more»

Jordon Schultz | “When Conviction Meets Preparation: Camp IdRaHaJe’s Story” | August 5, 2025

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